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5Sheets--Sheet1. T. J. CHUBB'. lmprovementin Process and Furnace forMaking Gas,-

lron, and Steel Direct fr0m the Ore. v N0.133,202.- PatentedNov.19,187'2.v

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Improvement in Process and Furnace fi-or Mak-ing'Ga1s Iron, andSteel'Direct from the Ore.

No..133,20'2'. Patented N'ov.19,18 72 AM PHDTU-UTHUGRAPHICC(ZNXKOSBOHNES PROCESS) 5 Sheets--Sheet 3* T. J. CHUBB. improvement inProcess and Furnace for Making Gas,

Iron, and Steel Direct from the fire.

Patented Nov. 19

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T. 1.. CHUBB. Improvement in Process and Furnace for Making Gas,

Iron, and Steel Direct from the Ore,

Patented Nov. 19

AMPHOTU-LITHOGHAPHIC CUWX/OSEGRNES PROCESS) T} J. CHUBBQ 5Sheets--Sheet5. improvement in Process and Furnace for Making Gas,

Iron, and Steei Direct from the Ore. 133,202.

Patented Nov. 19, 1872.

/l//l. FHUTU-UTHOBEAPll/C HZIUN USEURNES PIfUCESSY) OFFICE. A

THOMAS J. GHUBB, OFNVILLIAMSBURG, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PROCESSES AND FURNACES FOR MAKING GAS AND IRON AND STEELD IRECT I FROM THE ORE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 133,202, dated November19, 1872.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. OHUBB, of \Villiamsburg, Kings county, NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes andApparatus for Making Gas, and for Making Iron and Steel Directly fromthe Ore and I do declare that the following is a full and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawingand to the letters of reference marked thereon.

In making gas from coal for illumination or for heating purposes, it isdesirable, from motives of economy as well as to get a better and moreuniform article, that the process should be continuous and equable; thatthe costly and frail retorts in common use should be dis-' pensed with;that the usual residuum (coke) from the coal should be utilized in theform of gas, and. the remainder converted into a fluid state forconvenience of removal without interrupting the work of the furnace. Itis also highly important to employ such processes that the poor and nownearly worthless coals and coal-dust may be capable of conversion intoan excellent quality of gas.

In making iron and steel of various grades directly from the ore, in thedesire of dispensing with the great outlay connected with theconstruction of blast-furnaces, many processes and much apparatus havebeen inventedfor treating ore in what is known as the sponge method.This method, however, has not proved entirely successful, because thesponge was of such a structure and composition that a large portion ofit in treatment became converted into slag or cinders. Moreover, ironore in its natural state commonly contains so large a portion of foreignmatter, and mineral coal has frequently so much sulphur, phosphorus, andother noxious elements, that the sponge requires so much melting,remeltin g, and refining to bring it to a proper quality that theprocess becomes too expensive.

To avoid these difficulties a method has been adopted of grinding ironore into fine dust, and forcing the same by swift currents of coldatmospheric air into the furnace. This method is faulty in use, becauseit is difficult to obtain or maintain snlficient heat to deoxidize theore in its rapid transit to the hearth,

and it produces an injurious action of the ashes of the coal upon themolten metal.

The object of my invention is to provide processes and apparatus whichshall be free from the general objections before named, and which shallutilize inferior iron ore, and coals, and coal-dust, now practicallyworthless, and produce excellent varieties of iron and steel, and gas ofa superior quality.

My invention consists, first, in making gas from coal-dust or coalcrushed or reduced to considerable fineness by dropping the same in along vertical flue or chamber made air-tight or protected from the outerair in such manner so that each particle in dropping is submerged andenveloped in an atmosphere of intensely or highly heated air or oxygengas, nearly in a state of rest, and contained in such flue or chamber.To produce, however, a highly inflammable and pure gas, I mechanicallyseparate and purify the coal before I use it in the furnace, preferablyby the process and apparatus patented to me August 13, 1872, No.130,478, by means of which all foreign matters are extractedmechanically from the coal; and the use of such mechanically-preparedand purified coal, for the purpose of making a purer gas,'is the secondpart of my invention.

To employ this gas thus made most effectively in the reduction of ironore, it is essential to dispose of the coke or residuum of the coal byconverting the same, through the action of intensely-heated air, or ofintenselyheated air and gas acting together, in part into an additionalsupply of gas, and in part into a fluid state, in which it can beconveniently tapped and drawn off; and this constitutes the third partof my invention.

To this gas thus generated, purified, and intensely heated, and fillingthe long vertical chamber before named, in a state, nearly, of rest, Isubject pulverized iron ore, by dropping the same and a proper portionof coaldust or pulverized coal into said chamber from the top or nearthe top thereof, the ore dropping through the gas and through theparticles of coal, and simultaneously assisting in the conversion of thecoal into gas, and being assisted by such conversion in a change from Iore to iron; and this process is the fourth part of my invention.

To the process just described of converting pulverized iron ore directlyinto iron, I subject ore mechanically prepared and separated, preferablyby the process and apparatus patented to me August 13,1872, No.130,478;and when said ore is converted into iron, as before described, in acontinuation of the same process, it is drawn off intorefining-chambers, successively, and becomes refined iron or steel, asdesired; and this is the fifth part of my invention.

The method of submerging and enveloping ore, mechanically prepared andseparated as described, in an atmosphere of gas heated to'a temperatureof 1000 Fahrenheit, or over, for the purpose ofproducingabetter articleofiron and steel; and the method of intensely heating steam by passingit through a regenerator, or similar heating apparatus, alone or mixedwith oxygen gas, or with atmospheric air, and employing it for makinggas, or refining metals; and the method of distributing the highlyheatedair into the gaschamber so as to avoid any fast currents; and the methodof feeding pulverized ore, or coal-dust, or both, into a verticalchamber in such a manner that said material or materials shall serve toprevent the escape of the hot air or gas upwa d out of the said chamber,or the entrance of cold air therein, form the remaining part of myinvention, as included in arts, processes, or-methods.

In addition to these I employ a peculiar construction and arrangement ofa shakingboX, screw conveyor, and hopper, operated by suitable means, sothat there may be a continuous equable supply of pulverized ore, or ofcoal-dust, or both, into a vertical chamber insuch a manner as toprevent the escape upward, from said chamber, of heated air or gas, orof both air and gas, or the entrance of cold air therein. I also employ,in combination with a furnace, a long vertical chamber or hearth, andmeans for feeding and distrib uting pulverized ore, or coal-dust, orboth, into the top, or near the top, of said chamber. I also arrange andcombine, in onefurnace, an air-heatin g apparatus, a gas-producin gapparatus, a deoxidizing, a melting, and a refining chamber. I alsocombine an air-heating apparatus, a gas-producing apparatus, adeoxidizing, a melting, or a refining chamber so arranged as to beoperated together; and these constructions, combinations, andarrangements constitute the remaining part of my invention, as includedin apparatus, all substantially as hereinafter more fully described andexplained.

Like letters denote like parts in each figure in the drawing, which aredescribed as follows, viz:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of my furnace; Fig. 2, a similar sectionof a modification of the gas-producing portion; Fig. 3, a similarsection of my furnace with a modification of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a similarsection with another modification of Fi 1; Fig. 5, a vertical transversepartial section through the lines T and T of Fig. A; Fig. 6, a verticaltransverse section through the lines S and S of Fig. 4; and Fig. 7, aview in perspective of my furnace partially broken away at the top.

In the furnace, which is built of the usual materials, and commonly witha rectangular base, from which spring two rectangular stacks, A denotesthe regenerator or air-heat ing apparatus, divided into compartments bydivisions extending horizontally from one of the side walls alternately,as shown in Fig. 1, and provided with pipes arranged as shown in'sai'dfigure. Above this are arranged the melting-chamber and connecting-flue,having a hearth, 61. Over one end of this meltingchamber is erected thegas-producing chamber G, pyramidal in form, and having much greaterheight than breadth. This chamber should have an altitude of from twentyto one hundred feet, according to the kind of coal used, anthraciterequiring the greatest altitude and the most intense heat, and hasconnection with closing the same, which flue enters into an independentfurnace, E, for heating in the first instance the regenerator A and itstubes. Connected with this independent furnace is a door, 13 and beneathit is a hot-air fine, E, and between it and the end of the regeneratoris a conducting-flue, g. Arranged beneath it and in the lower part ofthe regenerator is an opening for the entrance of cold air, and on theopposite side of the regenerator is a fiue,j, con

meeting with the chimney for conducting off.

thewaste gases from the furnace E after they have passed in a tortuouscourse through the pipes or tubes. Within the gas-chamber 0, made offire-clay or other refractory material, is a flue, K, perforated withopenings 0 at suitable distances, as shown, and arranged in anyconvenient order. In the top of said gaschamber is a shaking-box, H,with a perforated or rectangulated bottom, above which box again, andarranged so as to play into it, is a conveyer-screw, G connected with ahopper, G. Motion is communicated to the shakingbox H by means of thepulley H and an interveningecceutric, Arrows a show the course of theheated air, and arrows Z) the course of the waste gases.

The above description is particularly applicable to Fig. 1.

In Fig. 2 is a modification of the fire-clay fine, shown by the letterK, cylindrical in form, and centrally arranged in the gas-chamber, andsuitably perforated.

In Figs. 3 and at is shown a modification of the gas-chamber, having acentral division or wall therein for separating the ore from coal, andhaving an additional conveyor, on, and hopper m.

In what is shown as the uptake flue-stack in Fig. 1 there is a verticalreduction-ch amber, provided with hot-air flue, conveyer G hopper G andshaking-box. The hearth of the melting-chamber is also divided, bybridgewalls, into several melting and refining chambers, B B and B.There is also shown a hot-air pipe, K, arranged in the melting-chamberunder the vertical chamber (J. This modification is employed for makingiron, refined iron, or steel, as desired.

I make use of my processes and apparatus in the following manner: Tomake gas I take the prepared coal and convey it into the hopper G from alarge supply-hopper above, (but not shown,) or by any means that willkeep the hopper Gr continuously supplied when in operation. I thenkindle a fire in the furnace E, Fig. 1, and also on the-hearth of thechamber 13*, the fuel being put in by means of the door, (B being atother times closed.) I then close a valve in flue F (not shown) and openthe cover D on the top of chamber 1) to form a draft for the fuel on thehearth B hen the chambers A, B and (J are sufiiciently heated I put theshaking-box H in motion by means of the eccentric H, and also the screwconveyer G, which conveys the coal from the hopper G into the box H,where it is evenly distributed over its perforated bottom, and graduallyand evenly falls through the holes in the bottom of the box, (which isnot a sieve or used for sifting or sizing, but only as a distributer,)so that the coal falls into and down through chamber 0 in an opendisintegrated manner, and the highly-heated air enters in the directionindicated by the arrows at a a, and through the openings 0 c 0 into thechamber 0, and fills it full of highly-heated air. The

coal, falling through it, is converted into gas;

and, when the quality of the gas is sufficiently good, then the cover Dis put on, and the valve in the flue F is opened and the gas con ductedaway to the place of consumption. I then open valve L in branch flue Land let part of the gas into chamber E for heating the air around thetubes 2? t; or the tubes t t may be continuously heated by any otherequivalent means.

The hopper Gr being continuously supplied with coal, which fallscontinuously into the highly-heated air, the process of making gas iscontinuous; and any residuum from the coal falling upon the hearth ofchamber 13 will be melted, and may be tapped out at the tap-hole at thelower end of the hearth in a fluid con dition. This tap-hole may beopened and closed in the usual way with a lump of clay, care being takenthat not a particle of cold air be admitted at any part of the furnace,except into the regenerator at opening f, or the quality of the gas willbe depreciated. Care should also be taken that the smallest possibleamount of air be admitted by the regulating-valve (not shown) at theopening f, through the regenerator into the chamber 0, consistent withthe amount of coal converted into gas.

To make refined iron and steel I take the black crystallized oxide ofiron, so abundant, particularly on the Western Continent, and preferablysuch ore as has been recently mined from below the surface, where it hasbeen submerged in perpetual water, and not submitted or exposed for along time to the action of air.

Such ore retains all the original crystallization of its phosphates,sulphurets, and other matter. I crush this ore intomechanically-detachedcrystals by any of the well-known crushingmachines,but preferably by rollers,

and then mechanically separate the pure crystal of the oxides of ironfrom all the foreign matter, preferably by my separators, hereinbeforementioned. If these separated pure crystals of oxides of iron, in theform of sand, are not small enough for speedy deoxidation, I furtherreduce them in size by crushing them. Large quantities of black sand(iron ore) are found on banks of rivers and ocean beaches, and inalluvial deposits and placer gold mines, suitable for this process, andmay be profitably converted into metal. I take the prepared ore andplace it continuously into one of the hoppers m on top of the chamber Uof a furnace like that shown in the drawing, Fig. 4, the other hopper Gon top of chamber 0 being continuously supplied with fine particles ofcoal. A fire is then kindled on the hearth in the back of the furnacebeneath the chamber 0 so as to heat up all parts of the several chambersin the furnace, and when all are sufficiently heated'the shaking-box Hand the screw conveyer G connected with the coalhopper G are set inmotion, and the heated air from the regenerator or air'heating apparatusA is turned into the chamber O, the coal falling into and through theatmosphere of highly-heated air; then the process of making gas iscommenced, and when the chamber B becomes heated by the combustion ofthe gas, and a further supply of highly-heated air being admitted intochamber B throughopeirings c c c and c 0 up to an intense heat, then thescrew conveyer m attached to the ore-hopper 122. is set in motion andthe ore is fed into the shaking'box H with the coal, and becomesthoroughly mixed by the shaking motion of the box, and falls with thecoal through thechamber 0. Part of the highly-heated air having beenshut off from chamber 0, by valves not shown, the coal depends on theoxygen of the ore for part of its oxygen. The affinity of theintensely-heated carbon be comes so great under these conditions thatthe small particles of ore take fire in this atmosphere of intensely-heated carbon, and burn with a glowing heat, increasing the intensityof the heat so that nearly all the heated air has-to be shut oil. Themetal cannot be burned up, but becomes carbonized into a carbureto ironand falls on the hearth below in a melted condition. The melted metalflows toward the lower end of the slightly-inclined hearth, where it maybe tapped out in the form of cast-iron or be allowed to flow through anopening in the bridge-wall between section B and section B, whichopening is opened and closed at the option of the Workman, in the usualway, well known to iron-makers, by a lump of fire-clay or otherwise. Inthis second division of the hearth B the metal may be boiled and refinedin the usual way of operating a puddling-furnace, and be balled up andtaken out in the consistency of refined iron, puddle-steel, or tappedout as cast-steel, or it may be allowed to flow or be otherwise removedinto the third section of the hearth B and there converted into refinedcaststeel. Over the section B there is a second gas-generator, D, or thehot air may at times be dispensed within this chamber D, and fine coalor other substances, such as manganese, speigeleisen, or other propermaterial may be thrown in, or it may be dropped in or on the surface ofthe metal, further carbonizing or recarbonizing, or decarbonizing of themetal, at the option of the workman; and by aid of a reducing orcarbonizing flame, or otherwise by the management of the supply of coalor the heated air, the same effect upon the metal may be produced.Chains (not shown) are arranged to hang down close to the furnacedoorsor other convenient place so that the workman can change the speed ofthe several chemical purposes, and this furnace also may be employed formanipulating other metals. For very refractory ore I employ oxygen gas,admitted at opening f of the regenerator A or steam admitted at theopening f, with or without atmospheric air, will operate differently,and produce different results than can be produced from steam admittedinto an ordinary coal-fire or gas-generator. The steam admitted at f andallowed to pass through the regenerator becomes so intensely heated thatit will decompose immediately what it comes in contact with, the fineparticles of intensely.

heated coal or particles of carbon struggling to get some other matterto combine with to form into gas. The oxygen of the steam attacks oneportion of the carbon, forming carbonic oxide, while the hydrogen of thesteam attacks another portion of the carbon and forms carburetedhydrogen. Thus gas is produced without any or Very little nitrous-acidgas. When air alone is used, it being composed of eight parts ofnitrogen to one of oxygen, more or less nitrous-acid gas must be theresult of its combustion. When the gas is employed, and suffers totalcombustion in the same furnace, the waste heat and gases may pass downthe downtake-flue g into the regenerator A and be employed for heatingthe'incoming or cold air, oxygen gas, or steam, as shown in Fig. 5 andindicated by the arrows b b b, and the arrows 0 a a in cross-section,Fig. 6, which indicate the direction of the incoming air. Arran gementsare also made with valves, dampers, (not shown,) or otherwise, so thatthe internal pressure inside the furnace and the external pressure ofthe atmosphere are about the same, whereby no cold airwill be driven orforced into any part of the furnace except at opening f. Should any ofthe sands of ore fail to be fully carbureted or melted in their fallthrough chamber 0 they will drop upon the furnace-hearth, directlyunderneath chamber G, and the particles of coke or coal. orpartially-converted coal, should be allowed to fall also on the hearth,so as to be mixed with the partially-deoxidized ore, and thereby a totalcombustion of the coal takes place and completes the carbureting andmelting of the ore or metal. With some kinds of ore, the coal and theore should be kept separate in the chamber 0, which can be done by theparting wall R extending down to near the hearth in chamber 0, as shownin Fig. 3. By cold or moderately heated air I mean air that can beconveyed and delivered into the furnace in iron pipes without destroyingthem. By highly-heated air I mean air heated to a temperature of 500 to2000 Fahrenheit; by intensely-heated air I mean a temperature 2000 to 7000 Fahrenheit. I prefer using two regenerators under the furnace, sothat an extra supply of highly or even intensely heated air can bebrought into use at any moment that the workman may require it, withoutinterfering with the general operation of the furnace or any partthereof. Should there be any ashes or residuum from the coal it will bemelted into slag or fluid cinder, and tapped and removed in the usualway of tapping and drawing out the fluid cinder in blast-furnaces.

My process and apparatus differ from the following apparatus 'in themanner described, and such processes and apparatus are disclaimed by me.

I am aware that they use in the old blastfurnaces the coal and ironmixed together, and fed in at the top of a perpendicularexpanding-chamber, that hot air is used, and the metal and slag orcinder are tapped ofi in a fluid condition. So far this process agreeswith mine. They pass their waste gases out at the top of the chamber Ipass my gases out at the bottom of the chamber. Their ore and coal liein a solid mass; my ore and coal in an open, disintegrated,continuously-falling condition. They melt the impurities with the ore,causing them to chemically combine with the metal; I mechanically removethe impurities before submitting them to the fire. They produce commoncrude, cast, or pig iron; I produce refined iron and steel.

I am also aware that there is a class of furnaces which have an outsideor independent fire or gas producer, and pass the heat or the gas overinto the deoxidizingchamber. I employall the heat produced in convertingthe coal into gas to aid the deoxidizing of the ore, and the oxygen ofthe ore assisting to convert the coal into gas. They introduce largevolumes, currents, or blasts of cold or moderately-heated air, whichhave a tendency to lessen the degree of heat required in refining ironor steel in a reverberatory-furnace, and blow, by the force of theircurrents, large quantities of ashes over onto or into the metal; Iemploy every possible means of keeping out the large volumes, currents,or blasts of cold or moderately-heated air, and by this means so lessenthe volume and increase the degrees of heat that the ore issuccessfullydeoxidized, carbureted, melted, and settled in one chamber, an efiectimpossible where large volumes, blasts, or currents of air are used.They produce iron that will not make a good quality of cast-steelwithout further heating, melting, refining, converting, &c.; I producerefined cast-steel direct from the ore at one operation.

I am also aware that there is a class of furnaces which employs blastsof cold air from a blower, in which is mixed a quantity of very finefloating coal-dust, (called carbonized air,).

blown into a combustion=chamber through iron pipes and tuyeres, and thenover into the deoxidizing, heating, melting, or refining chamber. Someof their inventions also mix aportion of heated air with the cold-blast,and some blow the ore or coal in on top of a' chamber resembling chamber0 in the accompanyin g drawing, and cold air is also drawn or forced inat intervals along and down the sides and into said chamber. All theseinventions employ more or less cold air introduced into the deoxidizing,heating, melting, or refining chamber; Idonot. They desulphurize,deoxidize, or melt the metal only; I produce gas, refined iron, andsteel all in one and the same furnace, and at one continuous heat oroperation direct from the ore.

Having thus described .my processes and apparatus, what I claim as newtherein, and my own invention, is-- 1. The process herein described ofmaking gas continuously without retorts by subjecting coal-dust fallingcontinuously in a flue to the contact of intensely-heated air withoutblasts or currents sufficient to prevent the dust from falling throughsaid heated air.

2. The method of producing gas by submerging small particles of coalinto highly-heated air in a perpendicular chamber, and melting theresidue, so that it may be removed from the furnace in a fluidcondition, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a furnace constructed for making gas with aregenerator or other equivalent air-heating apparatus and a means offeeding the coal and removing the residue in a fluid condition. 7

4. The employment of highly-heated. air for converting, or assisting toconvert, coal into gas and melting the residue into a fluid condition,for the purpose and substantially as set forth.

5. The method of heating the air and'introducing into the gas-producer,for the purpose and substantially in the manner'as set forth.

6. The process of making iron direct from the ore, as herein described,in combination with the process of making gas herein described. V

7. The process of making refined iron and steel direct from mechanicallypurified or separated ore at one continuous heat and operation and inone furnace, and by aid of gas produced substantially as described.

8. The arrangement of a gas-producer, a deoxidizin g chamber, a meltingand refining chamber, and an air-heating apparatus, all in onestructure, substantially as shown and described.

9. The combination of a gas-producer, deoxidixing-chamber, amelting-and-refining chamber, and an air-heating apparatus, so as to beoperated together, as described.

10. The employment of a gas-producer, a melting-and-refining chamber,and an airheating apparatus, so arranged that they may be operatedtogether, for the purpose set forth.

11. The method of keeping out currents of cold air from the interior ofthe furnace, sub stantially as described.

12. The method of submerging and enveloping the prepared ore into anatmosphere of highly-heated gas, for the purpose set forth.

13. The method of feeding the material into the chamber 0 in such amanner that the top of the furnace can be kept air-tight, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

7 let. The method of distributing the air into chamber 0 so as to avoidany fast currents, substantially as shown.

15. The method of intensely heating steam by passing it through aregenerator or similar heating apparatus, alone or mixed with oxygen gasor with atmospheric air, and em ploying it for making gas or refiningmetals.

16. The arrangement of the box H, conveyer G, and hopper G, constructedsubstantially as described, for the purpose of feeding material into theflue, as set forth.

"17 The employment of the, improvements herein set forth in combinationwith the process and devices set forth in my Patents No. 67,497 and No.67 ,498 applicable hereunto.

THOS. J. OHUBB.

\Vitnesses EDlllI. F. BROWN, H. 0. SMITH.

